Posted by Emme on June 24, 2004, at 20:02:08
In reply to Emmy...please share... (nm), posted by Jai Narayan on June 23, 2004, at 22:35:41
You may already know a lot. I'm just learning. Tao Te Ching means roughly "Book of the Way". From poking at it a bit, it seems to be the ultimate book on letting go. I was surprised to see that a chunk of it deals with government and how leaders should act.
In the Tao Te Ching, the concepts are often expressed in terms of how the Master thinks/acts. The Master is the man or woman whose life is in complete harmony with the way things are. The notes at the beginning say that the Chinese language doesn't make the gender distinctions we do. So, unlike other translations, Stephen Mitchell alternates using "she" and "he" in passages referring to the master. I like gender equality. :)
Okay, here's a couple of short semi-random selections:
"Fill your bowl to the brim
and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your knife
and it will blunt.
Chase after money and security
and your heart will never unclench.
Care about people's approval
and you will be their prisoner.Do you work, then step back.
The only path to serenity."
**************************************
"The Tao doesn't take sides;
it gives birth to both good and evil.
The Master doesn't take sides;
she welcomes both saints and sinners.The Tao is like a bellows;
it is empty yet infinitely capable.
The more you use it, the more it produces;
the more you talk of it, the less you understand.Hold on to the center.
poster:Emme
thread:358809
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20040408/msgs/359987.html